When the American surrender at Bataan occurred, it marked the beginning of a long trail of brutal experiences POW’s experienced under the Japanese. The traditions and culture of the Japanese placed no respect on those who surrendered rather than die for their cause. They simply saw the American prisoners as inferior beings. The prisoners did not know what to expect. "We didn't know anything about the Japanese, but they didn't know much about us." These are the words of Glenn Frazier, a prisoner of the Empire. He was captured at Bataan and said later. "If we had known what was ahead of us at the beginning of the Bataan death march, I would have taken death." The 80,000 prisoners were to be transported to camp O’Donnell.
They would be forced to march nonstop until they reached the camp which
was an unfinished Philippine army base. The march was atrocious undertaking for the men forced to walk it. "It was a
difficult for us to understand because we had had no contact with the Japanese
whatsoever and what these people were all about and what they were like." Before
this time, the Americans hadn’t really seen the Japanese up close and had no
clue what they were like, the first impression was not good at all, then the
march began. Men were sick, dehydrated and malnourished from the weeks of
intense fighting but all were forced to walk. "They immediately started beating
guys if they didn't stand right or if we were sitting down." The Japanese were
in a state of low morale. They held a sense of hate for the Americans who they thought were evil.
"We didn't know where we were going, we didn't know
anything. We were stopped on the way and searched and beat again, all our
possessions were taken away from us. Some of us had rings and they would cut the
fingers off and take the rings. They poured the water out of my canteen to make
sure I didn't have any water. I sawone buried alive and when some were bayoneted
or shot they would leave them in the road and the convoys were coming, I saw
some of the trucks go out of their way to run over the bodies. Some had their
throats cut because they would hold the bayonet out of the truck just high
enough to cut their throats at night as they drove by. And beating some with a
rifle butt until there just wasn't any life left in them. I saw Filipino women
cut, their stomachs cut open or their throats were cut. I saw Filipino's and
Americans beheaded with one swipe of a saber. I marched six days and seven
nights, never stopped, I did not have but one sip of water, no food. Now they
say that you can't do this but I did. When I got to the end of the march...
Where I stopped to get on a train, my tongue wouldn't even go back in my
mouth... That's how close to death I was." Glenn Frazier was one of a lucky
group who managed to get through the Bataan death march alive at the end. The
Bataan Death March was the first real POW atrocities that occurred in the war.
It would most certainly would not be the last.
was an unfinished Philippine army base. The march was atrocious undertaking for the men forced to walk it. "It was a
difficult for us to understand because we had had no contact with the Japanese
whatsoever and what these people were all about and what they were like." Before
this time, the Americans hadn’t really seen the Japanese up close and had no
clue what they were like, the first impression was not good at all, then the
march began. Men were sick, dehydrated and malnourished from the weeks of
intense fighting but all were forced to walk. "They immediately started beating
guys if they didn't stand right or if we were sitting down." The Japanese were
in a state of low morale. They held a sense of hate for the Americans who they thought were evil.
"We didn't know where we were going, we didn't know
anything. We were stopped on the way and searched and beat again, all our
possessions were taken away from us. Some of us had rings and they would cut the
fingers off and take the rings. They poured the water out of my canteen to make
sure I didn't have any water. I sawone buried alive and when some were bayoneted
or shot they would leave them in the road and the convoys were coming, I saw
some of the trucks go out of their way to run over the bodies. Some had their
throats cut because they would hold the bayonet out of the truck just high
enough to cut their throats at night as they drove by. And beating some with a
rifle butt until there just wasn't any life left in them. I saw Filipino women
cut, their stomachs cut open or their throats were cut. I saw Filipino's and
Americans beheaded with one swipe of a saber. I marched six days and seven
nights, never stopped, I did not have but one sip of water, no food. Now they
say that you can't do this but I did. When I got to the end of the march...
Where I stopped to get on a train, my tongue wouldn't even go back in my
mouth... That's how close to death I was." Glenn Frazier was one of a lucky
group who managed to get through the Bataan death march alive at the end. The
Bataan Death March was the first real POW atrocities that occurred in the war.
It would most certainly would not be the last.